ALBAWABA - This morning, Israeli forces ramped up their presence around Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, preventing Muslim worshipers from entering the mosque's courtyards and preventing Palestinian citizens and students from entering the site.
According to a press release by the Islamic Waqf Department, Israeli forces have been provocatively allowing significant numbers of settlers to enter the mosque's courtyards since the early morning hours. They assaulted Muslim worshipers while also barring individuals under the age of 50 from entering the holy spot.
The statement also reported that Israeli police are working to evacuate Muslim worshipers from the Al-Aqsa courtyards, and so far, approximately 15 Muslim worshipers have been forcibly removed out of the holy site, WAFA reported.
The Islamic Waqf, the Jordan-run institution in charge of the holy site, has frequently appealed for international assistance in stopping these incursions, which are considered as a direct challenge to the sacred site's status quo and an affront to Muslim emotions worldwide.
Local media reported that the Israeli forces soldiers physically assaulted and beat up three worshippers near the Chain Gate, including an elderly man and a lady. This brutal assault occurred after the three had peacefully protested against an Israeli settler who blasted a horn at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Meantime, packs of Israeli Jewish settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards in separate groups, where they conducted provocative tours through the courtyards of the mosque, received explanations about the alleged Temple Mount, and performed Talmudic rituals near the Dome of the Rock.
Earlier in the morning, hundreds of Muslim worshippers gathered at the holy site after dawn prayers to protest Israeli settlers' provocations and intrusions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
These incursions emphasize the continual violations of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation troops and settlers and raise concerns about Palestinian Muslims' safety and freedom of worship at one of their holiest places.
